Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Less Than Three Months to go until Christmas

Less Than Three
Months to go until Christmas

By Merry Wilkinson from the Year Round Christmas Mysteries
by Vicki Delany

Good thing I like Christmas so much. Because when you own a
Christmas-themed store in a Christmas-themed town, sometimes it seems like it’s
always Christmas.

It's hard to get enthusiastic about the holidays when it's August and still hot and humid here in Upstate New York. But in my job, that's when I have to start planning.

My shop, Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, specializes in Christmas
gifts and décor. I try to source as many of my goods locally as possible. Much of my beautiful jewelry is made by my shop assistant Crystal
Wong, so talented she’s been accepted into the New York School of Art and Design;
my pottery is made by small-scale potters scattered around the southern shores of Lake
Ontario. I get many of the wooden toys from Alan Anderson, who plays Santa’s
Head Toy Maker at all our town’s children’s Christmas events. Alan's a highly skilled woodworker and many of his pieces are works of art in themselves. Women love his necklaces of interwoven wooden rings and grandparents can't get enough of his hand-painted toy trains.

Hand-made items need to be ordered well ahead of time, so August and September mean a buying frenzy. All the stuff I got in over the winter was snapped up during last month’s Christmas in
July celebrations.

But, I’m not complaining. After all, I have to check out all
of Alan’s line of toys and decorations in person, don’t I?

Meet Merry Wilkinson and the people of Rudolph, New York,
American’s Christmas Town, in the Year Round Christmas series. Rest
Ye Murdered Gentleman is now, out and We Wish You A Murderous Christmas
is coming November 1, and is now available for pre-order.

Are you ready to start thinking about Christmas? If so, let’s have a little contest. I have a
small Santa ornament and a packet of snowflake paper napkins (shown here) All you have to do to enter the contest is leave
a comment here and let me know when you start shopping for your holiday décor. Please provide your email address so I can
contact the winner.

I pick things up whenever I see something I like. I sock itaway in the closet and hope that I remember where/what it iswhen it's time to decorate for Christmas.Sounds like a fun book.thankstxmlhl(at)yahoo)com

I think about starting shopping as soon as summer is over and school starts. I seems to always happen that I don't actually do any shopping until around November when the panic starts to set it. Occasionally I pick up something during the year that is just right but then I usually forget I have that item until I've already bought something else for that person. Thanks for the giveaway.sallycootie@gmail.com

I don't consciously start looking for Christmas decor, or Christmas gifts, or any of the Christmas trappings. Just whenever something catches my eye that I think I just have to have, will I buy. And really, I've already got so much still stored, I don't need anything.

I don't consciously start looking for Christmas decor, or Christmas gifts, or any of the Christmas trappings. Just whenever something catches my eye that I think I just have to have, will I buy. And really, I've already got so much still stored, I don't need anything.

I usually use the decor I already have and just add to or toss out the old. But as for gifts, I buy things all year long thinking I'll be ahead for Christmas. When Christmas rolls around and I have forgotten all about the boxes of stuff I bought all year and buy more. So I still have stuff that I bought years ago. konecny7(at)gmail(dot)com

Wow, it's hard to believe Christmas will be here in a few months! I've been married a long time and have a lot of decorations, but if something happens to catch my eye I might buy it.jademoss17@gmail.com

I don't usually buy much new decor for Christmas but I try my hardest not to until after Thanksgiving. No Christmas deocrations, movies or music until the day after Thanksgiving. I'm one of those horrible black friday shoppers (with my mom every year!) and we always start the morning off with the first Christmas music of the season and that weekend we typically get our tree.awilcox1182@gmail.com

I have so much holiday decor right now, that I really don't have to buy any more. One thing that I do like to do though, is buy some ornaments right after Christmas and wrap them up with all my other ones, so that I get a nice surprise when I decorate my tree for the next Christmas and have some new ornaments!

I look for new decorations at after Christmas sales. I also shop at the Goodwill and Salvation Army stores. I have found some wonderful decorations there. Actually, I have sort of stopped shopping for decorations. If I get any more my tree has promised to go on strike, fall over and never be upright again.

I shop all year round, sometimes in the store or at garage sales or in some small towns they have antique stores have reasonably price Christmas items. Thanks for this very generous chance. lindamay4852@yahoo.com

Having been married for 42 years, decor is pretty much taken care of. However, I now have grandbabies to shop for, so I try to keep an eye out for what I know they like all year round, which makes for less big shopping in the December zone, when people are more stressed with the shopping.

I actually already have plenty of Christmas decorations that I found at various yard/garage sales, but I always check out the sales at our local dollar stores and Walmart to see if I can find good deals on items like plastic plates, goblets, and adult sippy cups (that's what I call them, they have lids and straws and they're made for adults, so...) because we can always use more of those. We have a tree but can't really decorate it because the cat likes to play with the ornaments, and will knock them off the tree and bat them around the house. :P

Okay, let's try this again, since my first attempt seems to have disappeared without a trace:

I already have more than enough Christmas decorations, acquired at yard/garage sales, but I always check out the sales at our local dollar stores and Walmart for plastic plates, goblets and adult sippy cups (that's what I call them, anyway...they have lids and straws and they're made for adults, so...) because we can always use more of these. :P

I try to get all my shopping for Christmas finished by the beginning of October, although my eyes are open all year long! I will only buy very special types of ornaments and the rest I like to crochet, like different types of snowflakes. The special ornaments then have places of honor on our tree. Merry northstarvance (at) Gmail (dot) com

Hi Vicky! Oh this series sounds great! Well, it seems that Christmas decorations are showing up in stores earlier and earlier these days! I always start getting excited when I see the Holiday items. My Husband and I live in and apt so I don't buy much, but, I still do love to decorate. I have Hodgkins Lymphoma for over 14 years so I can't do much like I used to, but, I hope to find some nice Holiday items on our trip that we will be taking soon for our 39th Wedding Anniversary! I will also be on the lookout for your books. They sound great! Patty pc1977@zoominternet.net

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